ESL STUDENTS

THE ESL STUDENTS

Fernando, 39 (San Pedro Sula)

Rosalinda & Fernando

ABOUT FERNANDO: I wish I could bottle up Fernando's energy and save it for myself on a rainy day. Never have I every met someone with so much hope and so much excitement. Fernando has a wife, Rosalinda, and three children, two young daughters and a teenaged son who lives in Florida. He has been in the ESL program for one year and already speaks more articulately than most native-born speakers. Although he would occasionally pause, searching his thoughts for the correct word, he never lost confidence or passion. I asked him why he first started learning English. "Because it's important," he replied immediately. "If you speak English well, you can go anywhere. And I like to speak English, I like to watch English news, I like to read newspapers. I can get a better job, if I speak English, and if I want to, I could live in the United States. Right now, I am in the process of becoming a resident." Both Fernando's father and seventeen-year old son live in Florida, in addition to many other close relatives. His son moved to Florida in 2009 because his mother lives in Florida.

MOTIVATION: "And I like English," he continues. "I like it. It is very sad for me when I travel to the Unites States and everybody speak English but I don't understand. I like it. I enjoy it. The class is an interactive class. It is not a boring class. It is interesting. The teacher will speak and we will answer. We form groups with other students to speak. I think we are learning. I practice every day. Every day. I read, I watch the news, CNN, in English. I speak with my wife because she studies English. I told my wife, 'If you want to have better opportunities, speak English.' Our children are in bilingual schools." After a pause he admits, "I try to practice every day, because sometimes I feel bad, when American people speak fast and I don't understand. So I must keep practicing. I have to do the best I can for me and my family."

THE CLASS: Fernando describes for me that, in the class, they use excerpts from textbooks and keep English notebooks where the students can practice writing English, in addition to speaking. The one suggestion he makes is to have more class times to study and learn. "I would like to have more hours every Saturday, three hours, or four hours." When I ask him about the influence of the class on the church, he nearly jumps up. "It has had a lot of influence. The teenagers started just two weeks ago, and you can already see the change. They are learning. We are happy. I am very very happy. Thanks, American people, brothers and sisters, for all of your support of the program. I pray every day for each one of you."

Kevin, teen student (San Pedro Sula)

ABOUT KEVIN: "It is a very good class. I have been learning English, and I know that if I learn English, it will help my future be better." Kevin is one of the youngest members of the adult ESL class. He is a high school student who dreams of studying engineering at a university in a few years time. He has been a student in the class for only a year, and yet his English is still much better than my Spanish, although I have studied the subject formally in school for four years. His words do not yet flow freely from his mouth, but he speaks with such thought and precision that one can tell that he truly understands the words he says.

THE CLASS: "I have felt better and better each class I take. I know that brothers in the United States are making this possible. It is not only helping my future, it is helping me now." To practice, Kevin reads English books, listens to American pop music, and watched movies in English. "We are like a family," he says of the San Pedro Sula ESL class. "Whatever we need, we help each other." Kevin hopes that understanding English will help him when he joins the work force full-time after studying at a university. "I hope to use English in my work, and maybe with my children when I have family. Or maybe when I travel to another country."

THE IMPACT: He explains to me that conversing in English is his greatest challenge, but he is determined to learn no matter how many years of practice it may take him. "If we learn, other people will want to learn also. It will help others if I learn. Thank you to the brothers that make this possible."

Amparo, 21 (San Pedro Sula)

Amparo & Kevin

ABOUT AMPARO: The first ESL class that Amparo attended, she folded her arms and told Jeannette accusingly, "I don't know why I'm doing this. How am I supposed to learn English?" (in Spanish). Jeannette encouraged Amparo to stay in the class and give it a chance. A couple short years later, you would never know that Amparo first maintained such a defensive attitude towards English.

THE IMPACT: As I sit with her now at a folding table in one of the church classrooms, talking like old friends, she seems open, happy, and inspiringly uninhibited. "I am happy because I am learning a new language. My husband is learning, and my daughter. For me, studying English is a dream in my life. When I come every class, I pray, 'God, I thank you, and I am grateful for my brothers and sisters helping me have an amazing opportunity.' Right now, I am nervous, so I don't remember every word, but when I get nervous, I ask the teacher for help, and she always helps me in the class when I need help. My husband is in the class, and we practice in our house. None of my other family speaks English, just me. I am here."

Gerardo & Dominga (San Pedro Sula)

ABOUT GERARDO & DOMINGA: Gerardo and Dominga are a couple in the church with two very sweet very young daughters. Dominga has been in the program for one year, and Gerardo has been studying in the ESL program a little over a year.

MOTIVATION: Gerardo initially started studying in the ESL class out of curiosity and his belief that learning English would help him in his work and with his family. "I like English. It is difficult, but I think it is important." After Gerardo started taking the class, he encouraged his wife to join him. "This is the best opportunity," she explains. "I want better opportunity for my daughters, and for me in my work. So I can serve better, so I can do more." Gerardo shares Dominga's belief, "It is important for me daughters to learn. When I travel to other countries, it is important. It will help them have better future."

Gerardo, Dominga, & their daughters

FUTURE: Both Gerardo and Dominga plan to continue studying English in the ESL class in the future with the goal of becoming fluent. "Thank you brothers and sisters. We are thankful for your help in the church and your time to help us. You are important to us. True disciples, very loving."